Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing Our Stories of Race, Culture, & Identity

The introduction to this chapter begins with the authors’ experiences in Council Bluffs, Iowa, which is 92.6% white. When they seek interviewees, no one wants to discuss race. Three months later in New York City, interviewees remark on the city's diversity and equality, even though it is still largely segregated. The authors argue that this illustrates the interviewees’ indifference to real diversity, which means equity, not just equality or integration. A student named Kyle explains equity this way: “Equality is a truck showing up and giving out only size 8 Nikes. Equity is a truck that shows up and has a size shoe that fits everybody. That way, everyone can walk around” (251).

In the first of the 10 interviews in the chapter, Aaron G. describes how race is a social construct that becomes internalized and creates inequities. He has faced racial and religious discrimination as a Black man who practices the Baha’i religion; he grew up in a small town in Colorado where swastikas and “the n-word” were prevalent. He joined Black Lives Matter in 2014 and outlines a path for healing from racism: healing from one’s personal trauma, relational work with others, and addressing the systems at work. A footnote describes the “mark of Cain,” which a Mormon accused him of having because he is Black.

Isabella, who is Hispanic, looks at equity from the perspective of belonging. Both of her parents have graduate degrees and she herself attended boarding school, but she was seen as a token person of color there (footnotes address tokenization and how society allows white people to feel they belong anywhere). She also experienced racism during a gap year in Colombia while having to translate for white women.

Inequities exist in continued segregation in schools and neighborhoods. Katja, who is white, adopted two children from Ethiopia, including her son Gadisa. She describes the segregated neighborhoods in Omaha, Nebraska, and how she teaches at a majority Black school, which illustrates the lack of equity in the city. A group of students from Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, note that though the high school integrated in 1957 (also explained in a footnote), students still group together by race. They detail how their different races lead to different experiences. Footnotes consider the concept of reverse racism, the issue of redlining, and the dearth of Black teachers in elementary schools.

Angela, a Latina representative at the Utah House of Representatives, aims to increase equity for women and women of color and engage them in politics. She describes the racism she has experienced as well as the privilege she had when getting a job in the mayor’s office due to her connections. A footnote addresses how white applicants usually benefit the most from the help of networks. Another footnote addresses the flawed concept of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps.

In a group interview, Eric, Josiah, and Galen, white men from Whitefish, Montana, explain that the town lacks diversity but say they would still see everyone as equal if their school was more diverse. Footnotes define the terms “nonracist” versus “antiracist” and describe Richard Spencer, a white supremacist who lives in Whitefish.

Addressing food and land equity, Patience K., a multiracial woman whose father is from the Congo and whose mother has Mexican and white heritage, highlights the link between poverty and race. Footnotes explain food deserts, health inequalities and lack of insurance among people of color, and land ownership by Black families after the Civil War.

Diversity can involve representation: Sione notes the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Pacific Islander populations in the media and his goal of being a role model. A footnote details the number of Pacific Islander people with bachelor’s degrees.

Matt, who is white, describes his grandparents’ racism. In contrast, he strives for equity in education, community work, and housing at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota (described in a footnote). He notes how systemic racism places power in the hands of white men and considers the difficulty of reclaiming that power for good ends.

Jennifer M. and Felice describe their interracial friendship, how they support each other on racial issues, and how people frequently ask them about race because of their friendship. A footnote discusses the term “cracker,” which Jennifer was once called by a Black man.